Margaret has a brave heart. She dreams of adventure and longs to travel to distant lands, so when a tall ship appears in the harbor, headed north to the Kingdoms of the Cold, Margaret won’t be left behind. But adventures are perilous things. Soon Margaret must face a ferocious sea serpent and even worse dangers. And she must discover the truth about an old woman with strange powers and mysterious plans, or she’ll never find a way to bring herself and her true love safely home.
Ireland
Materials from Ireland
Traveling Tom and the Leprechaun
Like many before him, Tom, a traveling minstrel, has fallen in love at first sight with the beautiful princess Kathleen. But Kathleen has vowed only to marry the man who can win a leprechaun’s pot of gold. Tom sets out with a clever plan to fool a leprechaun into giving up his fortune. Upon meeting one of the fair folk, Tom charms him with songs and stories. As it turns out, however, Tom’s tales hold more truth than trick.
A Pot o’ Gold: A Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, and (of Course) Blarney
A collection of stories, folklore, poetry, and songs from Ireland.
Finn Maccoul and His Fearless Wife: A Giant of a Tale from Ireland
The giant Finn MacCoul is a lovable but cowardly fellow who finds himself in a peck of trouble after that nasty Scottish bully, Cucullin, tries to pick a fight. Abided by a wee bit of fairy magic, Finn’s clever wife, Oonagh, comes up with a hilarious plan: Finn will hop in the cradle and pose as his own baby. Then Cucullin will be in for a great big surprise.
Too Many Leprechauns: Or How That Pot O’ Gold Got To The End Of The Rainbow
On St. Patrick’s Day, leprechauns are lucky. But on every other day of the year, they make for noisy neighbors–and they’re turning the entire town of Dingle upside down! Fortunately, Finn O’Finnegan always has a clever plan brewing, and this time, with a little luck of the Irish, it’s a scheme that just might fool even the cleverest of creatures.
The Irish Piper
In this version of the traditional tale, the Pied Piper plays upon Irish pipes and travels from County Clare in Ireland to the village of Hamelin to rid it of its rats. An author’s note discusses the Piper’s music and provides examples of what he may have played.
The Children Of Lir
A haunting Irish legend, believed by some to be the basis for King Lear. A king’s jealous wife puts a spell on his children, changing them into swans, until such time as the Man from the North and the Woman from the South–two mountain peaks–are joined together. Watercolor illustrations.
The Starlight Cloak
In the author’s version of the Cinderella story, a princess in Ireland leads a life of misery until her foster mother reveals magical powers that change her life forever.
The King of Quizzical Island
When no one can answer his question about what is at the edge of the world, the King of Quizzical Island builds a boat and sets sail to find out for himself, despite the objections of his fearful people.
The Faceless Ones
Valkyrie screamed, sprinting toward Skulduggery. He looked up and reached out to her, but it was too late. If you’ve read the other Skulduggery books by Derek Landy (and you really should have read them by now), you’ve seen it all before: Some bad guy wants to bring about the end of the world, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie fight valiantly to stop it from happening. A few people get hurt, sure, but everything’s all right in the end. Well, not this time.